San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano has been suspended for life for violating MLB’s betting policy, the league announced on Tuesday.
Reports indicate that Marcano bet over $150,000 on 25 Pittsburgh Pirates games while assigned to the team, winning only 4.3% of his bets. The Venezuelan was on the injured list during all these games and lost all his bets.
Marcano is the first active Major League player to be suspended under the sport’s betting policy since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O’Connell in 1924. Additionally, Pete Rose, MLB’s all-time hit leader, accepted a lifetime suspension in 1989 after an investigation concluded that he had bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team.
Notably, Jose Marcano was the first player from Tucupita, Venezuela, to play in the Major Leagues, but due to his actions, he is now the first Venezuelan to be suspended for life in MLB history.
Tucupita Marcano, 24, has not played for the Padres this season. He suffered a right anterior cruciate ligament injury in 2023 and has been recovering since then. Nonetheless, the Padres claimed him off waivers from the Pirates last winter.
Last season, Marcano achieved a career-high batting average of .233 with the Pirates, recording 18 RBIs, 47 hits, and three home runs in 75 games.
The Padres, who signed him with a $250,000 bonus from Venezuela in 2017 and gave him the opportunity to become a Major League player in 2021, stated that they would support any decision made and are aware of the controversial situation.
Other players involved: Minor league players Michael Kelly (Oakland Athletics), Jay Groome (Padres), José Rodríguez (Philadelphia Phillies), and Andrew Saalfrank (Arizona Diamondbacks) were also handed one-year suspensions for betting. Unlike Marcano, they did not bet on games in which they played.
